Unpacking the significant changes in Arsenal season ticket prices for 2023/24 – fewer matches, price adjustments, and more discounts for young fans.

• Arsenal reduce the number of home matches included in a season ticket from 26 to 22 matches starting from 2023/24
• A General Admission season ticket will cover all 19 Premier League and three European group-stage matches, subject to qualification.
• Arsenal are implementing an average 5% increase on General Admission season tickets for next season, with prices in the lower tier going up by 6% and 4% in the upper tier.
• Arsenal are extending the 25% discount on season tickets and match-by-match tickets currently provided to people up to the age of 21, to the age of 24.

Key changes to Arsenal’s season tickets

Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal Football Club, is set for a major overhaul in its season ticket scheme for men’s matches starting from the 2023/24 season. If you’re an Arsenal fan keen on understanding how these changes impact you, you’ve come to the right place.

The most significant change for the upcoming season, which has been implemented in response to ongoing fan feedback, is the reduction of home matches included in a season ticket from 26 to just 22.

This shift offers season ticket holders greater flexibility and more certainty, as they will only pay for matches guaranteed to be played, avoiding upfront payments for games that may not occur.

What does a general admission season ticket cover?

Under the new scheme, a General Admission season ticket will cover all 19 Premier League and three European group-stage matches, provided Arsenal qualifies.

This is a departure from the previous 26-match season ticket which included all home Premier League matches, five European fixtures, and two home Emirates FA Cup games.

More tickets available for members

This move, resulting from feedback from season ticket holders who desire more flexibility around attending matches, will support Arsenal’s mission to make more tickets available to the growing membership base.

By removing the four cup credits from the season ticket, Arsenal will make up to 150,000 additional match tickets available for members to purchase next season.

Changes to ticket prices

Alongside these changes, Arsenal will implement an average 5 per cent increase on General Admission season tickets for next season.

Prices in the lower tier will go up by 6 per cent, and 4 per cent in the upper tier. This price increase will be the same for all match-by-match tickets.

However, as Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League, this means an average reduction in the cost for full-price adult general admission season ticket holders of £113 a season, compared to the equivalent price had Arsenal been in the Champions League this season.

If Arsenal had qualified for the Europa League next season, it would have left full-price adult season ticket holders paying on average £76 less than they paid this season.

Discounts for younger supporters

In another positive move, Arsenal are extending the 25 per cent discount on season tickets and match-by-match tickets currently provided to people up to the age of 21, to the age of 24.

This change is in addition to discounts available to Cannon members aged 17 and 18 who already benefit from a 57 per cent discount outside the Family Enclosure.

Junior Gunners (16 and under) will continue to receive a 66 per cent discount on tickets inside the Family Enclosure.

What’s next?

Club Level season ticket renewals began in April.

Supporters received a personalised communication explaining the changes and what they mean for them.

As usual, General Admission season ticket renewals will begin shortly after the last game of the season.

History of season tickets

The practice of issuing season tickets at Arsenal Football Club dates back to the 1888-89 season.

Interestingly, these tickets were not merely for game access, but also granted the holder membership to the club, including voting rights in committee elections.

The club’s museum houses two examples of these early tickets, one from 1891-92 and another from 1899-1900.

The 1891-92 member ticket, costing 10 shillings and 6 pence per season (approximately 52.5 pence today), offered access to the entire Invicta Ground.

The card bore the lettering R.A.F.C and the relevant season, and each was endorsed by club officials William Dobbings and George Osborne.

Unlike Arsenal’s season tickets until the new changes detailed above, which included seven cup games, the original tickets only included league games.

As technology evolved, so did the ticketing process, transitioning from the analogue system of a gateman’s scrutiny to the digital access controls at the Emirates Stadium.